Consequences of Changes
by Kazesaito
Summary: AU story. Naruto is assigned a different team, but some more differences abound. Like the fact that the sensei are different. Really different. No pairings as of yet, but who knows?
1. A Different Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and the fact that I write fanfiction is proof of that. Plus, I can't afford a lawyer...

A/N: First attempt at a Naruto fanfic. Promises to be interesting and worth a read, or at least that's what I want. Includes some OCs, so if you hate stories like that, don't read it and don't flame me.

Summary: Naruto gets assigned to a different team. Yawn, right? Well, let's replace the original sensei with some new, fresh people. This is an overdone plot, but I like it and want to try it. Don't worry, I won't remove Kakashi and the other sensei from the story, they're too cool for that.

**Konoha Village, Uzumaki Residence**

A loud ringing sound brought one blond ninja to the world of the awake. Naruto groaned as he hit the blaring alarm, silencing it. He gazed wearily around, suddenly remembering that today was important.

_What was going on...OH CRAP! THE TEAM ASSIGNMENTS, _thought Naruto in a panic. He shot out of bed and began dressing at a pace that would make Yondaime jealous.

After a few minutes of hurried preparation, the blonde leapt out of his home and headed for the Ninja Academy. His thoughts were on what team he would be on, which pretty much boiled down to the fact that he wanted to be on "Sakura-chan's" team.

He moved with the swiftness and grace of a proud shinobi as he made daring leaps from roof to roof of his home village. Clunk! "Aggh!", cried Naruto as a television aerial loomed out of nowhere and sent him sprawling onto the tiled roof of a home. Well, forget the graceful part...

Naruto recovered and then made a final leap to the courtyard below, which was filling with other recently promoted genin. He remained quiet and tried to lessen his presence, still wary of information he'd learned last night from Mizuki.

As usual, no one payed him attention at all, except for one person. From a distance, Hyuuga Hinata observed her secret crush and most admired person. She was hopeful, a rare emotion for her, that they may be on the same team. She followed him as the crowd of ninja filed into their classrooms for the team assignments.

**Konoha Village, Academy Teacher's Lounge**

A large grouping of jounin with the various chunin teachers milled about as they waited for the team assignments to be underway. An average height jounin, wearing light gray cargo pants and the jounin vest of his village, waited at the edge of the crowd.

"Will!"

He spun as two more ninja waded through the crowd towards him. One was very tall with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes, he wore black with a dark green jounin vest zipped up over it. The other was short and had black hair pulled into tight ponytail with eyes that were just as black. He wore gray pants and a netted shirt under an open light green jounin vest. They halted in front of their friend, who regarded them with pale white eyes, those of the Hyuuga Clan.

"Whose on your team?", asked the short jounin.

"I don't know. They haven't given us the sheets yet, Samagi-kun."

The jounin grimaced at hearing his full name."Call me Sam, damn it.", he said through pursed lips.

"Let's not get in a spat now.", said the tall ninja, Steve. He turned as a chuunin, identified as Iruka, handed them each a sheet with there team on it.

"Join me in room 4 in ten minutes. There you will meet your team.", said Iruka, walking off.

Will scanned his sheet and the names made since to him. Well, sort off. He was supposed to have a balanced team that specialized in ambushes and eliminating enemies quickly. He looked over to Sam, who was scrutinizing his sheet.

"This could be real troublesome.", muttered Sam, as he tucked the paper into his vest. "You team any good, Steve?", he inquired.

Steve folded up the sheet and mimicked Sam's action. "I can live it.", he said simply. The tall ninja indicated a wall clock. "We should go, the others are leaving as well.", he stated and left.

Sam and Will exchanged a weird look, since something was off about him today, and then followed him out of the room.

**Academy, Room 4**

The various graduating genin sat with ill-concealed impatience for the assignments. Some like Hinata and Shino remained quiet, but Naruto was having issues waiting.

"Geez, when will Iruka-sensei get here to give our teams.", groaned Naruto for the twentieth time. He placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.

"Maybe if you had any skill as a ninja, the wait wouldn't seem so bad, dobe.", remarked Uchiha Sasuke in a smug voice from a couple seats away. He gave a superior smirk as he said it.

"WHAT did you say, Sasuke-teme!", roared Naruto as he again moved with Yondaime-like speed to crouch on Sasuke's desk. His patience was worn through at this point.

"You heard me, dobe. Get some skill and you won't be bored.", repeated Sasuke, causing the bastard scale to go haywire. Naruto leaned in closer and closer for a staring contest. He got closer and even closer than closer until...SMOOCH!

He'd gone and clashed lips with the Uchiha prodigy. The kiss lasted for about twenty nanoseconds before they fell apart. Naruto heaved onto the floor, completely horrified. Sasuke was breathing heavily, sucking in large gulps of air as if he'd been poisoned by vapors.

Naruto finished his terror attack and looked up to see Sakura and several other girls with dangerous looks on their faces.

"Hello Sakura-chan.", said Naruto with a grin on his face. The pink-haired genin cracker her knuckles while growling,"Hello Naruto." and, "Goodbye", she screamed delivering an uppercut that launched the blonde through the roof and would have made Naru from Love Hina proud.

Hinata went extremely fidgety when Naruto was launched. It actual wasn't too bad and he landed in a smoking heap in his chair as Sakura walked off dusting off her knuckles to annoy Sasuke.

The sound of a door being opened alerted the ninja to the arrival of Iruka and the jounin sensei. The jounin formed a line in front of the classroom while Iruka stepped to the fore.

"You will now be put into teams of three. These will then be assigned to a jounin. You will perform missions with your team now that you are genin. I will now call out the team number, members, and then indicate the jounin sensei.", declared Iruka. He started reading off names.

Naruto and Hinata could feel the tension building as teams were reeled off. Hinata's fidgeting had reached new levels and she was doing a credible impersonation of a tomato. Naruto edged in his seat as Iruka called out, "Team 6."

Iruka paused to take a breath and said, "Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, and Akimichi Chouji, you're Team 6. Your sensei is Ronoya Senge." At this Steve stepped forward and indicated for his team to follow him, which they did.

"Aw man, I didn't get Sakura-chan.", groaned Naruto. Hinata's hopes lifted up a bit upon hearing this. It meant she had a better chance than ever of being on Naruto's team. Her face turned into a slight smile as she thought of spending training with her idol.

Iruka coughed and gave Naruto a look that suggested displeasure, but didn't comment. The genin in the room looked up at him as he prepared to read off the next team.

"Team 7", said Iruka, "Consists of Nara Shikimaru..."

Here Sam gave a grimace. He'd expected to be teaching the only Nara genin, but somehow he wasn't. He snorted a little, but didn't say anything.

"Hyuuga Hinata...", continued Iruka. Hinata looked up with hope rising in her mind. _This is it, _she thought. Her fidgeting began to resemble seal formation by a jounin, it was so random and fast.

"And... Uzumaki Naruto.", finished Iruka. Naruto looked around as his teammates and wasn't impressed. _A lazy guy and a white-eye weirdo._, he thought dejectedly. Hinata on the hand was through the roof. Well, only in her mind. But, she was with Naruto-kun and that was all she wanted. Shikimaru just yawned.

"Your sensei is Hyuuga Wiruna.", stated Iruka, indicating Will, the silver haired Hyuuga jounin. The new Team 7 looked at their sensei. He stared back with blank white orbs that told them nothing.

_A Hyuuga? Oh no..., _thought Hinata. She didn't want to have another person who saw her as a failure as a member of the clan. Granted, she knew nothing about him, but still most of the Hyuuga saw her as weak, so why not this guy.

Naruto for his part was observing their blank faced teacher. _Is he related to Hinata? Another white-eye weirdo., _he thought, sinking even deeper into depression.

Shikimaru was very quiet about the whole thing. He disguised any thoughts he was having by yawning again. He was actually deeply interested in their sensei. It would a rare opportunity to meet and learn from a scion of the largest Konoha clan.

"Let's go. Meet me in training area 43.", said Will, breaking the silence. With that, he walked out of the room. His new students followed quickly. Behind them, Iruka was heard saying, "Team 8 will be Yamanka Ino,...", until they were out of earshot.

Will observed the genin now under his command. There was the lazy Nara, who Will knew was smart, but it would take some time to get him motivated. The heir to his clan, the supposed weak Hyuuga. And the Kyuubi container, Naruto. He hoped that he could make these three into a potent force.

Naruto presented an issue to him as to what he should learn. Will was familiar with Kyuubi, having fought it twelve years ago as a chuunin. He still had the scars from that encounter and some pretty painful memories. He shook his head to clear it and walked the last few feet to the training area.

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**Training Area 43**

Will walked to the center of the field, where three logs used for taijutsu practice were arranged.

"Please come and seat yourselves and we shall get acquainted.", he said with a friendly smile. The best way to gain trust was to act friendly and Will needed their trust now.

The team seated themselves with their backs to the logs. Almost immediately, Naruto raised his hand.

"Yes?", said Will.

"Sensei, are you and Hinata related.You have the same eyes and surname."

Will twitched visibly. _So direct. _Hinata blushed and tapped her index fingers together. Shikimaru just looked shocked.

"Yes, we are of the same clan, the Hyuuga, but we are not directly related.", came Will's reply. He decided not to make a habit of answering stupid questions, but this was a valid question.

Hinata blushed again and stuttered, "Th-that's ri-right, Naru-Naruto-kun. We are of the same cl-clan." Shikimaru and Will had the same thought at once. _She has a huge crush on him._

Naruto looked surprised. It was the first time any adult other than Iruka or the Third had ever given him an answer. It made him happy on the inside, but why was Hinata blushing?

"Anyway, let's get to know each other, shall we?", said Will, clasping his hands together. "We will go around and I want each of you to state your name, likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies, and types of jutsu. I'll go first."

"My name's Hyuuga Wiruna, but you will call me Will. I like rainy days and cats. I dislike heat and people who give up easily. My hobbies are reading, poker, and training. My dreams are none of your business, and my jutsu you'll find out real soon.", finished Will.

He looked over to the far left, where Shikimaru was seemingly nodding off.

"How about you, Nara-san?", he inquired suddenly.

"Geez, this is troublesome.", muttered Shikimaru, but he went ahead and answered.

"My name's Nara Shikimaru. I like cloud-watching and sleeping. I hate troublesome things. My hobbies are cloud-watching and sleeping and I just want an average life. The jutsu I'm best with is the Kagemane no Jutsu.", narrated Shikimaru, who ended with another yawn.

"Hinata-sama, you're next.", said Will with a neutral voice.

The Hyuuga heiress murmured her answer, "My name is-is Hyuuga Hi-Hinata. I like flowers and I dislike fi-figh-ting. My dream is...my dream is to be-become strong." The last part she turned bright red and looked very shyly at Naruto, who watched her with a weird look on his face.

"I guess that's good. And now for our last, but not least genin.", said Will with a slight smile. Naruto jumped onto the log and declared himself.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto and my dream is to be Hokage!", he practically shouted, then settled into a thoughful pose to finish the question. "I suppose I like ramen and Sakura-chan of course.", he said. Hinata looked a little down at that statement and Shikimaru yawned like he'dheard it all before.

"I don't really hate anything and my best jutsu is Kagebunshin.", finished Naruto with a hand pose. _Kagebunshin. Very impressive for the "village screw-up." _, thought Will. He cleared his throat for attention.

"Now, we shall have a test. It will determine whether you will remain a genin or go back to the academy."

"What, why?", screamed Naruto in shock.

"Only nine genin or three teams will become genin, the rest will be sent back for another year.", stated Will.

"Come on...", complained Naruto.

"How troublesome."

Hinata merely looked extremely worried. _I don't think I can pass the test and not against another Hyuuga._, she thought.

"Let me explain the test. There are two bells on me and I will hold them for the duration of the test. Each of you must get a bell to pass and remain a genin. You will have six hours, starting... NOW!" , finished Will with a roar and all three lept away without a chance to ask questions.

Once the genin were hidden, Will removed an alarm clock from his pack and set on a log.

"You have until this clock rings to get a bell.", declared Will to the seemingly empty forest.

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**An hour later...**

Will sat on a log in the clearing where the test had started. It had been an hour and none of his students had come out to attack him. A number of scenarios of what they may be doing ran in his head, but he had this feeling...

At that moment, Naruto charged out of the foliage to his sensei's right and rushed at Will, removing shuriken as he went. Will cocked his head in Naruto's direction as the blonde released four shuriken at his sensei.

Will merely leaned to one side to let three of the shuriken fly past him, before snatching the last one of midair and flinging it back. Naruto, suprised by the attack, halted in mid-rush and ducked the missile.

Will smirked as Naruto stalled his advance to dodge and then moved into Naruto's space at speeds only a jounin could manage. He would hold back, but only a little because the outcome of the fight wasn't the objective of the test.

The Hyuuga spun into a kick aimed for Naruto's side, which he was barely able to block. The genin lept back and countered with a punch to Will's face.

This blow was caught and then Naruto tried to kick at his opponent's ribs, which failed as Will used his free hand to block.

"You'll never win like this.", stated Will matter of factly, as he pulled Naruto forward, knocking him off balance and then hitting him on the stomach with his knee.

"Ooof!", grunted Naruto as the knee hit. He was then sent flying bodily into a nearby pond by Will.

Naruto waited underwater and thought, _He's really good, but I will become Hokage. And so, I must..._

He made hand seals and then lept out of the water yelling, "Kage Bunshinno Jutsu."

Eight copies of himself dove at Will, who was waiting at the water's edge. It was sad that he was caught off guard by the clones, which kicked him in the face and sent the jounin towards a tree.

Will recovered easily and faced the grinning Naruto. _Those clones were Kage Bunshins._, thought Will as he assumed a fighting stance.

"You know an excellent technique, but that gives you no permission for being cocky.", yelled Will as he met Naruto and his clones head on.

"You're just jealous!", cried Naruto and commenced his attack. The first pair of clones threw punches at Will.

"You misjudge your abilities.", said Will as he evaded the attacks and used speedy aerial Jyuuken moves to take out the copies, amazing Naruto.

The genin was a little freaked and threw a punch at Will. For a minute, it appeared that Naruto's fist had sunk into the jounin's stomach, but Will vanished in a puff of smoke suddenly, a log appearing in his place.

_Kawarimi..., _thought Shikimaru from the sidelines, where he and Hinata watched the fight. The Hyuuga heiress was worried for Naruto and watched with concern in her eyes.

Naruto was currently looking for the vanished jounin, who had landed in a tree behind Naruto. He lept down again, aiming for the confused genin. A swift kick to the side sent Naruto flying across the terrain.

He managed to regain his footing, but saw Will running towards him. He formed seals and six more kage bunshins appeared near him. They masked his escape, as he lept into the tree above and sent the clones to fight Will.

Will hit one copy in the stomach and pivoted to kick another, leaving both clones in a cloud of smoke. Three more rushed him, while one stayed back. The jounin figured this was the original or what Naruto wanted to him think was the original.

Will drew a kunai and slashed three times at the attacking clones. They vanished in a puff of smoke and Will dove at remaining Naruto facisimile.

The clone made no defensive moves and a deft kunai slash killed it, which suprised Will and allowed Naruto to attack the jounin's uncovered back. He drove a kunai into the sensei's back, trying to disable him enough to grab a bell.

Then, a puff of smoke enveloped Will's body and Naruto found his kunai stuck in a log. "Ahhh! Stop doing that.", screamed Naruto in frustration.

"Stop trying to play the hero.", murmured Will coolly as he appeared behind Naruto, a rope in his hand.

"What th...Yarrgh!", cried the irate genin as Will tugged on the rope. It was tied to Naruto's ankle and looped over a tree branch. This had the effect of hauling Naruto up the tree and leaving him hanging by one ankle.

Will looked up at his student with an amused look on his face.

"Blind attacking gets you nowhere. You'd do well to remember that .", said Will, before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"SCREW YOU!", screamed Naruto, highly frustrated at his current situation.

Meanwhile, in the bushes, Shikimaru and Hinata looked at each other. "I think he's coming for us now.", said Shikimaru. Hinata looked to mortified to respond. _I can't fight another Hyuuga. I'm too weak._, thought Hinata as they waited for whatever was next.

END Chapter One

Author Notes: You like? Well, even if you hated it leave a review with the convnient button below. I need the praise/constructive criticisms.

A couple of things. I have OCs and probably some OOC stuff. The OCs are not going to be over the top. They will be a functional part of the fanfiction. As for the OOCness, I'm not a great writer yet. I'll try to keep the characters IC, but this an alternate universe. They will evolve differently, but won't be radically altered. Shikimaru will not become a hard worker all of a sudden. Other than that, this is my first Naruto fanfic. Don't flame me, I'm immune to it.

As for pairings, I don't have any confidence in being able to pull it off, but I may try anyway. This won't kick in for a couple of chapters, so don't hold your breath. Main one will defintely by NaruHina, but others are open to suggestions. I like unique or little used pairings. Please give feedback.

One last thing. I need a beta reader. Pleaser e-mail me at or leave your e-mail address and interest in helping me in a review. AND REVIEW!

I need reviews...sniff.

Sayonara, minna-san.


	2. A Really Different Sensei

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but Naruto owns you. And so does Jojo, the monkey.

A/N: Well, I thank everyone for the reviews. I didn't think that people would be interested in my story. Seeing as how I was proved wrong, I'll see this thing through to the end. Anyway, several people wanted to know where Kakashi is. Kakashi is too awesome to be taken out of this fanfic, but he will not show up for several chapters. He is cool, but isn't a major character yet.

Anyway on with chapter 2. Where the team learns that kicking ass is best done in a group and Will decides his team needs a talk...about being ninja.

**Training Field, two hours into the... BELL TEST!**

Will stalked around the forest, searching for the three genin. While his back was turned, Hinata and the Nara had freed Naruto and hid in the surrounding foliage.

He listened a little to the sounds in the area, trying to pick up his student's movements while searching everywhere with his sharp eyes. He didn't want to use his Byakugan for this would help him find out his student's stealth skills. And he was looking with his normal senses since not many shinobi would have something like the Byakugan to use.

Will mused a little bit on Naruto, the only student he'd learned about so far. The Kyuubi vessel was very attention needy and liked flashy moves and loud noises. Will hoped to curb that issue because it wouldn't work for his team's role in combat.

On the other hand, he also knew Naruto was lonely. Any person born without parents was and the shunning he received on a daily basis wasn't good for him either. Will hoped that some solid friends and maybe a good teacher could help solve that issue.

His distant relative (actually a second cousin), Hinata would be a great help in this, mused the jounin. She had a huge crush on Naruto and despite the weirdo comments that he'd dropped about her, Will had a feeling Naruto might like her as well.

Still, this was no time to think about his potential student's love lives. He had some genin to find. Will allowed himself a smile as he leapt towards a clearing.

**Some Bushes, far from Will-sensei**

The genin in question were hanging in a clump of bushes where they hoped Will wouldn't locate them. Hinata had been trembling the whole time, for she knew Will could find them at any time with his Byakugan.

Naruto was quiet for once, having been whacked over the head by Shikamaru for trying to attack again.

"Why are we hiding again?", asked Naruto for the seventh time.

"We're trying to avoid that jounin until we have a plan of action."

"Let's just jump him, what do you say, Hinata-san?", said Naruto, pounding his hand into his fist for emphasis.

"I th-hink we shoul-ld wait like Shika-shikamaru-san said", stuttered Hinata, as she spoke to her crush. "Plus, Will-sensei is pretty dangerous and he has the Byakugan.", she continued.

"We'll never win by waiting.", stated Naruto sulkily and he folded his arms and turned away.

Shikamaru went over plans in his head. As lazy as he was, a small part of him wanted to become a ninja and Naruto's speech had inspired him, if just a little.

He was now formulating a plan. Earlier, they had agreed that a team effort was the only way to win this crazy test.

**Flashback**

"We need to work together on this.", said Shikamaru to the other two genin. They had just fled after freeing Naruto while Will's back was turned.

"That's a stupid idea.", said Naruto, "There are only two bells. This is every man for himself."

"Um. Naruto-kun.", spoke up Hinata, her voice a mere whisper.

"What's up?", asked the blonde.

"I think Shikamaru-san has a-a point. May-aybe if we...", she petered off with a blush on her face.

"What should we do?", asked Naruto, scratching his head.

Shikamaru sighed and said lazily, "We need to work together. You know firsthand a genin can't beat a jounin in single-combat."

"I see. I see!", said Naruto excitedly, "Let's get to planning..." The group all began to think of methods to stop Will to steal the bells.

**End Flashback**

Will walked slowly through the forest and emerged out into another clearing. _Never realized how large these training areas were._

The jounin's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of another of his students. Hinata stood in a Jyuuken stance, Byakugan activated, waiting for him in the clearing's center.

Hinata had been waiting for Will to show, but she was extremely scared. Will was another Hyuuga, so he was able to deal with the Jyuuken and she knew he would find her weak. After all, the other Hyuuga did, so why not him?

She looked at the calm jounin, who watched her without any expression and trembled. She could barely keep up a tough front, but Naruto and Shikamaru were counting on her. If Naruto could take him on, then she could as well. Bolstered by this thought, she prepared for battle.

Will had watched his fellow clan member with interest, though he betrayed none. She seemed extremely insecure about her position and then...her stance changed. _Looks like she had an epiphany.,_ he thought and activated his own Byakugan.

"Let us see your strength.", said Will and attacked with a quick rush palm.

Hinata barely evaded the attack and then threw a few strikes of her own, which Will dodged with ease. Hinata had very good control and decent speed, but was outclassed by Will's own speed.

Their fight soon devolved into a Jyuuken fight, with palm strikes and finger attacks flying everywhere. Finally, Hinata began her part of the plan. She had manuevered the battle to make Will's back to a cluster of trees and now she stepped up the attack, pushing with all her ability.

Will was surprised by the sudden surge and was forced to retreat towards the tree. He'd fallen back several steps when the jounin realized that this was a trap.

Sure enough, he hit a trip wire and a barrage of kunai flew from two sides at him. Hinata jumped away from the area and into some trees, but Will had no concentration to spare her.

As soon as the kunai shot at him, Will drew a kunai of his own and parried the incoming projectiles that he couldn't dodge. He then leaped clear of the trap and landed in a clearing.

"You'll have to do better than that.", the jounin said to the seemingly empty woodland.

"Sorry, sensei, but you're wrong about that." Naruto's voice echoed from all directions, preventing Willl from finding him by his voice. _He created a few Kage Bunshins and used them to hide his presence. Clever or did someone else plan this...?_

From his concealed position, Naruto tugged a set of wires and soon, a hail of kunai came flying from all directions. Will had no means to deflect all these kunai, but instead made hand seals.

_Earth Element: Blending with the Earth!_ The jutsu caused Will to sink into the ground like it was water and he emerged from the ground a few feet away.

A rustle in the bushes caught his attention and Naruto and Hinata jumped out, ready for a fight. Hinata seemed to have confidence in herself, something which Will and Naruto noticed. _She looks so different from when we were in the academy._, thought Naruto as he gauged Will up.

Will was suitably impressed, but very suspicious as Shikamaru was no where to be seen. He was about to activate his Byakugan when Naruto and Hinata struck.

Naruto charged with a quick aerial kick and Hinata opted for a spinning palm strike as they went for his head. Their sensei evaded Naruto's kick with ease and blocked Hinata's attack with one arm.

Hinata was far better at taijutsu than Naruto, so Will dealt with her first. He tried a kick, but he ducked it and shoved both palms at Will's chest. He retreated a step and then lunged, his hand flying past Hinata's guard and impacted with her chest. She went flying backwards and landed hard, even as Naruto made the seals for Kage Bunshin again.

"That won't work.", stated the jounin as Naruto and his six copies surrounded him. Will's Byakugan activated and he was about to attack when he saw another person behind him, making seals.

"Kagemane no Jutsu.", said Shikamaru as his shadow attached to Will and forced him to mimic his movements.

"Nice job, but you can't hold me for more than a few seconds.", said Will. Shikamaru and Naruto smiled and Naruto said, "A few seconds is all I need."

The blonde genin and his copies then all rushed the jounin and tried to steal the bells. Unfortunately, Shikamaru was forced to disengage his jutsu as Naruto grabbed the first bell.

Will destroyed the six copies with ease now that he could move again and was about to attack Naruto when he saw the genin smile.

"What are you smiling about? Your plan didn't really work.", said Will coolly, "I still have a bell..."

He reached down for the bell and then saw it wasn't there. He swiftly pivoted and saw Hinata with the second bell in her hand, looking exhausted, but very happy.

Will looked surprised for a brief moment, before he too started smiling. "Great job guys. You all pass and are now officially genin."

Naruto looked confused. "I thought only two bells meant only two of us passed."

"That was a lie to force a rift on your team. This test was all about teamwork, which you guys seem to excel at.", said Will while shaking his head.

"You all did great, now let's go into the village and get lunch and discuss your duties and missions. I will also critique your personal performance and see what I can do to help you improve.", finished Will as he got up and started off.

The genin followed him towards the village, even though Hinata was nervous. _Cri-critique?_, she thought worriedly.

**Konoha **

The newly promoted genin followed Will down the street. Each was lost in their own little world at the moment. Naruto was feeling happy for himself and also for his team. Then his stomach started growling, which caused the rest of the team to turn and stare at him.

Naruto grinned, embarassed, but not really caring. Ramen was the first thing on his mind at the moment. "Hey, sensei, can we go to Ichiraku's for lunch? I'm starvinggggggggggggggg!", whined the young blonde.

Will snorted lightly and Shikamaru muttered "Troublesome" for the fifth time that day. Hinata merely blushed and looked down. "Well, I guess lunch is in order, but we aren't going to Ichiraku's."

"WHAT? WHY, SENSEI?", screamed Naruto in confusion and anger. He **would not** be denied his precious ramen.

Will merely smiled at Naruto's outrage. "Because, you eat too much ramen. If you ever want to fulfil your dream, you have to have a healthy diet, which also means variety."

"Uwahh?", said Naruto stupidly. He was a bit confused by Will's statement, but the advent of food was more important. "Whatever sensei, I want to EAT!"

"Okay, okay. We'll go to the resturant by the Academy. They have incredible sushi there.", said Will as his eyes lit up at the prospect of sushi. He was a sushi addict and possibly more into it than Naruto and ramen.

The look in their sensei's eyes was a bit scary to behold. _Wh-what is he?_, thought Naruto, who was thouroughly afraid for his life now. Shikamaru looked suprised, then went back to watching the clouds. _This whole thing was troublesome to start with._

Hinata looked really scared. She sported the whole deer-in-the-headlights look due to the effect of Will's white eyes on his facial expression. She withdrew several steps and remained a little ways back from the group for the rest of the walk.

**Konoha - Sushigakure Resturant**

Will led his team into a small, but pleasant looking building built in traditional Japanese style. The entered the resturant and then passed under a curtain depicting the Kyuubi menacing the village. Will noted that Naruto tensed up very tightly when he saw the picture, and hurried them through into the resturant.

However, Will wasn't the only person to note Naruto's reaction. Shikamaru saw his teamate tense up when he looked at the Kyuubi. Now, the Nara was a genius and he was able to put something together from the scene.

_Did Naruto's parents die in the Kyuubi attack? His reaction suggests they must have, but he had to have been told later. Afterall, none of us was old enough at the time to remember it._, thought Shikamaru.

He had always seen Naruto as a joker, and nothing more or less than that. But, if this inference was true, then it explained Naruto's behavior. The pranks were all just a mask for his pain.

Faced with this seemingly logical conclusion, Shikamaru had no idea what to do. _I think I'll wait and see on this one, but maybe I'll talk to Will-sensei about it..._, concluded Shikamaru mentally as a young waitress led the party to a table, which was a low-set kotetsu.

A single lamp was placed in the center of the table, which fluttered slightly as all four seated themselves.

Naruto was looking all around the restaurant in plain excitement, barely able to contain himself in his need for food. "Come let's eat all ready.", he whined.

Will slid onto one of the cushions while answering Naruto, "Be patient. Good things come to those who wait."

_What, huh?_, thought Naruto confused. Will's little piece of logic had thrown him for a loop and he shut up while he contemplated it. Hinata blushed lightly at her crush's confusion.

She'd remained very quiet all throughout the walk to the restaurant. Hinata's thoughts were confused and now tried to make sense of it all while the four shinobi looked over the menu (Will appeared to be drooling over his).

Hinata was very happy to be a ninja. It meant she might be able to prove herself to her father as well as perhaps obtaining Naruto's attention. She blushed deeply at that thought. Of course that'd never happen, nobody ever saw her though.

The Hyuuga heiress was more concerned with her sensei's promise to critique their performance. She was certain that she was the worst ninja on the team and Will's status as a Main House member of the clan did nothing to make her feel any better. She stared dejectedly at her menu, trying to keep her mind off the subject.

After a short silence and then the ordering of their food, Will carefully cleared his throat to gain the attention of his team.

The other three looked at him, Naruto looking excited, Shikamari just bored, and Hinata staring at her fingers as she pushed them together.

"I must first congratulate you guys on passing the test. You all worked excellently as a team. This is the first skill you need as a ninja.", he said, smiling.

The other genin looked happy, except Hinata. Will continued,"However, do not become overconfident. All three of you have much to work on before our work as a team is finished."

Naruto looked somewhat downcast and Shikamaru muttered an "I knew it."in response.

"Before I get to a general analysis of your abilities, I need to explain what our duties as shinobi entail."

"You mean like guarding feudal lords and defeating criminals? That's what I want to do as a ninja and fulfil my dream to become Hokage!", yelled Naruto loudly.

"Not so loud, moron.", said Shikamaru irately, yanking Naruto down.

"Hey you want to fight or something, lazy?", said Naruto, while rolling up his sleeves.

"That's enough!", said Will, his voice slicing through the tense atmosphere like a knife, "What happened to that teamwork thing, huh?"

They both looked at him silently as Will continued, "We take missions from the village as a team and accomplish them. These can be escort or assassination missions, but you guys aren't ready for that yet."

"Our schedule is very basic. We meet at training field 23 each morning. There we will either train or I will take you to the Hokage tower and we will pick a mission. I expect you all at the field by six AM. Sessions will end when I say and no earlier. Other than that, you'll see how I operate as we work together."

He allowed them a few minutes to digest that information. Hinata looked incredibly nervous now while Naruto and Shikamaru just waited for Will to critique them.

However, the food arrived at that moment and Will attacked his sushi with all the finesse of a rabid. His team watched enraptured at Will consumed the food. Even Hinata came out of her nervous state to stare.

Several seconds later, Will was wiping his mouth off as a plate of consumed sushi lay in front of him. The Hyuuga cleared his throat again and looked at Naruto.

"You are quite the intriguing ninja, Naruto, but the whole idea of taking me head on was pretty... stupid. And your tactics were horrible, and you taijutsu too...", he stated, while Naruto looked more thunderstruck each time Will mentioned a fault.

"Wait a minute. I'm not done.", said Will as Naruto fell off his chair from the weight of his faults. Poor Hinata looked scared out of her mind from the barrage, no doubt thinking what Will might think of her abilities.

"You do have incredible stamina for a genin and having learned Kage Bunshin is no small task for a genin. In addition, your taijutsu does have enormous potential. You are here to learn Naruto, so be patient."

Naruto was about to say something, but thought better of it. He had something to think on and well, that took up most of his concentration.

Will then eyed Shikamaru. "You're very intelligent and you have excellent strategic sense, but the laziness will not cut it as a shinobi. You have the potential to be an excellent squad leader and your ninjutsu abilities are very well developed. Your taijutsu will have to improved though.", he said.

_He just summed up my strengths and weaknesses almost to the letter. He's quite more than just a jounin._, thought Shikamaru. The intelligent genin knew his own attributes very well despite his lazy attitude.

All through this part, Hinata was extremely worried. So, when Will turned to her, she just about freaked out and in her blind fear, lept onto Naruto.

The two stared at each other, Hinata in an increasing state of panic and Naruto in curiosity. _This is kinda of nice..._, thought the blonde, then Hinata lept off him with a squeak and settled into her on a chair, a massive blush settling across her face.

Will and Shikamaru exchanged a look then Will smiled at his clan mate. "You aren't as weak as you think you are.", said Will frankly to the tomato red Hyuuga heiress.

She looked at him in curiosity while Will continued, "Your taijutsu could be much better, and more confidence in yourself will help you immensely. Though, this team is perfect for that purpose." As the jounin said that, he looked pointedly at Naruto.

"You also have very good chakra control, speed, and fluidity. Your execution of the Jyuuken style of very graceful, so you need to be proud of yourself.", finished Will with a smile. Hinata looked surprised at this conclusion and sat back with a thoughtful on her face.

Their sensei stood up, leaving money for the check on the table. He then addressed the team. "What I say about you is only a general idea of what you are. We will work one on one and as a team to help you all develop your skills as ninja. With that said, I'll see you all tomorrow at six.

Will then left, leaving his three students to reflect on the day.

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A/N- Well, that's Chapter 2. Sorry for the ridiculously long update. I was moving and high school's been killing my free time like Kakashi in the ANBU. The next chapter will more characters, including a look at Sam and Steve's teams and perhaps an odd cameo or two.

Pairings will most likely be NaruHina at least, but I'm open to suggestions on that. Just don't expect great romance. It's really not my thing, as I'm a guy...

Chapter 3 will be up...soon. It depends on my final schedules and things like that. In the meantime, please click the review button and leave some comments. It had better be nice, or constructive criticism. Flames are idiotic and do nothing of any real significance. Thanks for reading!


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